


When Cliff Met Brandy

by LexLemon



Category: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
Genre: Accidental Dog Acquisition, And Cliff is a very proud papa, Both together and separately, Brandy’s origin story, Cliff Booth has a heart, Cliff and Brandy have my whole heart, Cliff just wants to do the right thing, Don’t worry it turns into fluff at the end, Gen, She’s just baby with a big bite, TW: animal abuse, brandy is the best dog
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:01:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23974930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LexLemon/pseuds/LexLemon
Summary: Cliff Booth wasn’t expecting to bring a dog home after he rescues a pit bull from her abusive owner. He also wasn’t expecting her to be his new best friend. Life’s just funny that way.
Relationships: Cliff Booth & Brandy (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Cliff Booth/Rick Dalton (implied)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 38





	When Cliff Met Brandy

“ _The Real Don Steele! 93 KHJ!_ ”

"It's 3:10 here in Boss Angeles. This is the Real Don Steele coming at you live with tunes to make your afternoon drive POP. Here's Jefferson Airplane with 'White Rabbit.'"

” _One pill makes you larger,_

_And one pill makes you small._

_And the ones that Mother gives you_

_Don’t do anything at all._ ”

Cliff Booth always drove with the top down. He couldn't remember the last time there was a roof over his head when he was out on the road. Every single time he raced through the streets of Los Angeles, the world opened up to him from above and let the wind blow through his blond hair at seventy-five miles per hour. There was nothing that Cliff loved more.

Driving Rick's car didn't have the same effect. He couldn't put the top down in his yellow Cadillac, so he had to settle for opening all the windows instead. Sure, he could still feel the wind beat against him when he drove it, but it wasn't like the real thing. But man, was that car _bitchin_ '.

So Cliff settled for his own car as he drove through L.A., a blue Volkswagen covered hood to bumper in dirt and dents. Sure, she could definitely use some fine tuning and polishing, but he treasured this car. He could never part with her, especially when she drove like a dream.

Cliff had nowhere to be as he drove through the city he now called home. That was just how he liked it too. Nowadays, afternoons simply spent behind the wheel with nothing important to do were hard to come by. As much as he enjoyed house-sitting on Cielo Drive, so much of L.A. existed beyond it. And Cliff was itching to explore it. So when Rick told him the day before that he could have the day to himself, Cliff nearly slept in his car just so he could race off at the crack of dawn.

Now, here he was pulling up to a red light with KHJ blasting in his ears. Nothing was better than this. Cliff drummed his fingers over the steering wheel in rhythm to the song on the radio, his eyes glued to the glaring red light before him. His reverie was cut short by a sharp voice yelling on the side of the street.

"What the fuck do you think you're doin', pup? What did I say? Don't fucking move from your post. You're not getting any of this shit either, so don't even try."

Cliff made a slight turn of his head to find himself looking into a narrow alleyway. A man in a plaid blue shirt adjusted a tan hat that sat atop his head of brown hair that touched his shoulders. He sat down in a beach chair but sighed when a copper-colored pit bull whined at his feet. It was pitiful the way she stood by his boots, her whines intensifying as the chain attached to her neck rattled with each tug she made.

The man Cliff assumed was her owner said, "You keep this shit up, you're not eating again. Now shut it. Almost wish I could give you some of this. It might kill you faster." He laughed to himself as he sunk lower in his chair, placing his hat over his face.

The pit bull never stopped whining, the noise growing louder as she pulled more fervently on the chain. The man pushed his hat up and sat up straight, a low growl coming out of his mouth.

"I said shut _up_ , you dumb bitch!"

The sharp kick his boot made into the dog's chest that sent her skidding onto the concrete was the last straw for Cliff. Now Cliff didn't mind a beating once in a while. Lord knew he'd delivered a fair share of them throughout his life. But all of those beatings were on people. After all, some people just deserved to have their asses creamed into a pulp.

But animals were different. Animals didn't do shit. They were just trying to survive in a world that was a lot bigger than them. They didn't need to be reminded of that by jackasses like this guy.

Cliff's gaze grew more intense the longer he watched the scene go on, unaware of how tight his fingers had gotten on the steering wheel. Well, it looked like he had somewhere to be today after all.

Cliff looked ahead and saw the light turn green, causing him to push on the gas and turn right. He passed about two stores before pulling over, parking his car in the middle of the block. He turned off the ignition and stepped out of the car, making his way down the street in steady steps.

When he reached the alleyway, he stood before it and shoved his hands into his pockets. Cliff locked his eyes onto the pit bull's as she sat against the brick wall, and he saw nothing but warmth with just a hint of pain within them. There was nothing in them that deserved to be treated the way this owner treated her.

Cliff let a smile fall onto his face as he nodded at her in greeting. Moving closer to the man, he said, "Excuse me."

The man shot up in his seat, a snort escaping his mouth as he woke up. He pushed his hat up and stared at Cliff with a dumbstruck expression.

"I-I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't see you come by." He turned his face onto the dog, giving her a hard glare. "Fucking guard dog can't even do her damn job." The man sighed and lowered his demeanor, trying his best to come off like a friendly salesman for Cliff. "So you came for the goods. Is that it?"

He stood up and rifled through his pocket, pulling out a bag of coke ready for smoking. "I got a new shipment of fresh white snow from Texas the other day. I'll give it to you cheaper than anyone else will in this city."

"Is that so?"

"I guarantee it."

"And it's from Texas?"

"That's right."

"Then it's probably shit."

The man's smile fell as his blood ran cold, his body stiffening up before his customer. Cliff began walking over to the dog and stood over her, never taking his eyes off her owner.

"I'm actually much more interested in this girl right here."

The man scoffed. "The fuck do you want with her?"

"Well, she doesn't seem to be too happy working for you. I don't think chains suit her that well."

"Trust me. She's fine. Sure, she's shit at what she does, but I know how to make her work. And when she's actually good, she does what I tell her. She likes it here."

Cliff made a quick glance down at the dog. "It doesn't look that way to me. Maybe if you didn't kick her around like you do, she would listen to you."

The man's face grew stern and he clenched his fists, taking several steps towards Cliff until they were face to face. "Listen, man. I don't tell you how to do your job. Don't fucking tell me how to do mine. Either buy some snow or leave my bitch and I alone."

Cliff's face was unreadable as he stared at the man before him. His eyes shifted onto the dog sitting beside her owner, her head standing as tall as his knee. There was a trace of fear in her eyes as she looked up at him, as if waiting for him to strike her once more.

As he stood there, Cliff thought back to the good old days growing up in Tucson. His neighbor had a pit bull that looked just like the one before him. He'd been able to teach the dog a series of codes made of whistles and clicks that all meant something different. Cliff always thought it was fascinating how the dog could understand her owner without needing actual words to do it. He was beginning to think that maybe it wasn't just something that dog could do. Maybe it worked on other dogs too.

The moment the dog locked eyes with Cliff, he tilted his head towards the man and made two clicks with his tongue. Within seconds, his theory was proven.

The dog lunged at her owner's leg and sunk her teeth into his ankle, a low growl escaping her throat as she tried to shake him. The man yelled as loud as he could, his body sinking to the ground and flailing about. He tried to pull away from her, but her grip was tight in her mouth. When he saw blood begin to stain the cuff of the man's jeans, Cliff let out a quick whistle. The dog released her owner and sat back, panting with a smile as if nothing happened.

The man picked himself up and stared at Cliff, fear rising through him as he looked into his cold eyes. "What the fuck did you do to my dog?"

"What she should have done a long ago. I'm sure she'd love to do it again too."

"No, no, please!"

"Then hit the road."

"Okay. Okay." The man took to his feet and ran out of the alley, turning the corner with a limp and never looking back.

Cliff made a small huff as he watched him leave, a small smile forming on his face. Once they were alone, he bent down to the dog and pet her head.

"Hello there," he said in a quiet voice.

Cliff's fingers rested over a black collar wrapped around her neck, noticing there was no tag attached to it. The son of a bitch hadn't even bothered to give her a name.

A hum left Cliff's mouth when he saw the chain attached to it that kept her tethered to the post at the corner. His eyes lit up as he felt around his jacket pocket, finding just what he needed inside.

Cliff pulled out a red handle and flicked a switch on the side, revealing a small switchblade from the top. Rick had given it to him as a birthday present the year he worked on _Tanner_ , as they let him take a prop off the set when filming was over. At the time, Cliff thought it was a nice gift, but it was just something to have on him. He never saw himself using a switchblade, especially in the types of fight he got into.

"Huh. I guess I did need this after all," he said to himself.

Cliff placed the blade underneath the dog's collar and flicked it through, making a clean cut through the band. The dog pulled away from her chains and walked about, letting out a happy whimper as she ran in place.

Cliff chuckled as he watched her bounce around in glee. "Yeah, I bet that feels good, doesn't it?" He pet her head and kept his eyes locked on her, a certain flutter entering his chest.

It had been so long since he had another friend besides Rick. It would be nice to have someone to come home to at the end of the day. Plus, a dog was easy to take care of. It was a win-win, if he had anything to say about it.

As he scratched at the dog's neck, Cliff asked, "How'd you like to go to a real home, girl?"

~

“ _Don’t sleep in the subway, darling._

_Don’t stand in the pouring rain._

_Don’t sleep in the subway, darling.”_

The dog panted heavier than ever before as she felt the wind whip past her, her smiling face shining along the back roads of L.A. while she sat in Cliff's passenger seat.

Cliff stole a glance at her now and then, making his smile grow wider as well. This was probably the happiest this dog had ever been. It might have even been her first time off the main strip. If anyone was going to give this dog the time of her life, he was glad it was him.

As the sun began to set over them, Cliff pulled through the back of the Van Nuys Drive-In, maneuvering through the dirt roads on the outskirts of the theater. He soon pulled up to a lone trailer on the land and parked several feet away, turning the key so it stopped Petula Clark's chirping voice from singing.

Cliff stepped out of the car and reached into the back seat, pulling up a bag filled with dog food and dishes he'd bought for his new friend. When trying to find the best kind, his eyes fell onto the colorful cans of Wolf's Tooth, depicting a ravenous wolf and containing flavors like "raccoon" and "bird." The slogan written in curlicue print at the top read, "Good food for mean dogs." After the performance she had put on that day, Cliff knew this was the food for her.

Cliff walked around to the other side of the car and opened the passenger door, stepping to the side to give her room.

"After you," he said.

The dog jumped out of the car and ran around the area, letting out a happy bark with each leap. Cliff laughed as he watched her release some energy, warmth flowing through him from her joy.

When he saw her moving away from him and back towards the road, he called, "Hey!"

Once he whistled, the dog stopped and turned her head around. Cliff gestured towards the trailer.

"Home's this way, girl."

The dog then followed after him and waited as he opened the door to her new home. She leaped inside and wandered around the space, stepping around loose blankets and through narrow halls to get a good sniff.

"Now I know it's not much," Cliff said as he set the bag down, "But I'm sure you'll like it."

As she made her way into the living room, the dog jumped onto Cliff's black leather couch and curled into it, laying herself across his pillows.

Cliff chuckled and shook his head as he knelt beside her. "I guess you already do." He began to pet her head and found himself scrunching up his lip.

"Now what are we going to name you?...You know, you got a nice color to you. It almost looks like...like whiskey or..."

Cliff's eyes wandered around his home until he spotted something in the kitchen. An empty bottle of brandy he'd been meaning to throw out sat on the counter, some faint drops of the drink still stuck on the glass inside. Cliff looked between the bottle and the dog's wide eyes staring back at him, as if waiting to be given her perfect name.

"Brandy. Yeah. You look like a Brandy. What do you think? Do you like the name Brandy?"

Cliff started petting her more fervently, causing her to lean in and lick his face. He let out an excited laugh and leaned in closer to her.

"I guess you do. Well, then I'm going to call you Brandy."

And Brandy she stayed.

~

“ _Los Angeles traffic!_ ”

"It's 5:00, Boss Angeles, and traffic is booming. The San Diego Freeway has some congestion beginning to form, so if you're about to head on home from work, you better hit the road now before it gets worse."

Cliff waited outside the Universal Studios lot in the yellow Cadillac, drumming his fingers on the side of the car. He may have gotten the day off yesterday, but it was back to work today. Any minute now, Rick Dalton would come huffing and puffing over to the car, ready to be taken home.

Sure enough, Cliff looked in his rear view mirror to see Rick marching up to the car from behind, his pursed lips telling him that he was letting out a sigh.

"Oh, here he comes now, Brandy," Cliff said to Brandy, who sat in the back seat.

Rick made his way over to the passenger seat and threw the door open, flopping into the seat beside Cliff. "Damn. That was some ride they put me on today, Cliff, I-I-I-I'll tell you that."

"Oh yeah?"

Cliff then pulled off the side of the road and set off through L.A., his gaze shifting between the road and Brandy in the backseat. Rick was none the wiser to their new guest, instead listing off the events from his busy day of filming.

"That Paul Stanley, h-h-he kept me on my toes today. I mean, I didn't think I was a g-good fit for _Mission_ : _Impossible_. I told you that."

"You did."

"But once they put a gun in my hand, Cliff-" Rick let out a whistle. "-I felt right at home. Let me tell you, the little fucker they gave me was a-a-a piece of work. It was only as big as my arm, but you take one shot with it, you feel like you're goin' to blow someone's goddamn fuckin' brains out. They got some powerful shit on that set, Cliff."

Growing antsy in the back seat, Brandy was tired of being ignored. She let out a small bark, making Rick jump in his seat.

"The fuck was that?" he said in a quiet voice. He turned around and jumped again, this time almost smacking into the windshield.

"Jesus CHRIST!"

"What?" Cliff asked.

"There's a fuckin' dog in the car, Cliff!"

"Yes, there is."

"How the fuck did it get in here?"

"I let her in."

Rick stared at his friend with wide eyes, small panting breaths leaving his mouth. "You what?"

"She's been in here the whole time. Rick, I would like you to meet Brandy. I picked her up yesterday when I saw that some jackass selling coke had her chained up and was kicking her around. So I rescued her and brought her home with me."

"So you found a fuckin' dog yesterday and took her home with you and you didn't think of fuckin' tellin' me that you brought her here?"

"Well, that defeats the purpose of a surprise, now doesn't it?"

Rick glared at Cliff when he heard the condescending tone in his voice. The proud smirk on his face just made him feel worse. He glanced at the back seat and saw Brandy staring at him with her big brown eyes. She seemed nice enough, but one never knew.

"She ain't goin' to bite me if I try to pet her, will she?"

"Naw, I'm sure you'll be fine. She might just be a little skittish, but she won't attack unless I tell her to."

"Okay. I'm trustin' you, Cliff. You're my stunt double. You're s'pposed to protect me from this kind of shit."

Rick reached his hand back and started petting Brandy, causing the dog to stick out her tongue and smile at him. Her joy brought a smile to Rick's face as well, prompting him to pet her even more.

"Well, hello, B..." Rick turned back to Cliff. "B-Brandy? Is that her name?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"Brandy. Hello. I-I'm Rick Dalton. You probably haven't seen me on TV, but that's okay. It's nice to meet you, anyway. And I'm s-s-sure I'll be seein' much more of you in the future." Rick turned back towards Cliff and gave him a private smile. "You're in good hands with Cliff."

Cliff smiled to himself as that familiar flutter entered his chest when Rick threw some kindness his way. "So you don't mind me bringing her around now and then?"

"Oh, no way. You can bring her 'round whenever you want to. She's part of the family now."

Cliff stared ahead at the bright city of Los Angeles, letting Rick's words ring through his ears. Rick and Cliff were a lot more alike than the latter ever thought they were. They'd both known Brandy for a little less than five minutes and already considered her part of their family. And that's what they were at the end of the day.

It was people like Rick and Brandy that made Cliff grateful that he'd come to the City of Angels. If he hadn't, he would have never found the people that always made him feel like he was home.

**Author's Note:**

> Songs referenced:
> 
> “White Rabbit”-Jefferson Airplane: https://youtu.be/EUY2kJE0AZE
> 
> “Don’t Sleep in the Subway”-Petula Clark: https://youtu.be/0ISX9mW78Dw


End file.
